The Dresden Dolls celebrate 20th anniverary of landmark album with newly re-recorded version

The Dresden Dolls – the pioneering punk cabaret duo featuring pianist/singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Brian Viglione – are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their second studio album with Yes, Virginia…(Tailor’s Version), a newly re-recorded version of the landmark 2006 LP arriving digitally, on CD, and vinyl on Friday, August 7. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now. The album is heralded by sharing a brand new rendition of the fan favorite, “Backstabber (Tailor’s Version),” available everywhere now. In addition, an exclusive new “My Alcoholic Friends (Tailor’s Version)” sound debuted last week on TikTok and Instagram. The song’s original version has proven an enduring classic for The Dresden Dolls, amassing more than 250 million worldwide streams and over 70 million YouTube views, and recently earning the band their first-ever RIAA Platinum certification, two decades after its original release.

Yes, Virginia…(Tailor’s Version) – the newly fashioned title which, of course, nods to Taylor Swift’s reclamation of her early master recordings – follows the recent conclusion of The Dresden Dolls’ 20-year contract with Roadrunner Records, allowing them the right to re-record the albums originally issued on the label. Recorded over several weeks in late 2025 at Boston, MA’s Mad Oak Studios, the album was tracked almost entirely live with longtime collaborator Benny Grotto and mixed by Paul Kolderie, co-founder of Boston’s iconic Fort Apache Studios (and sound engineer on the original 2006 Yes, Virginia…). The new recording sees The Dresden Dolls joined by guest vocalists Veronica Swift, who received a French knighthood and worldwide acclaim for her 2021 recording of the album’s “Sing,” and 2x RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon, an ardent supporter of the band who performed the album’s “Me and the Minibar” with a full orchestra at her Carnegie Hall debut in 2025. The album also includes new front- and back-cover artwork by South African surrealist painter Niki McQueen.

THE DRESDEN DOLLS
YES, VIRGINIA…(TAILOR’S VERSION)
Release Date: Friday, August 7, 2026

TRACKLIST:

Sex Changes (Tailor’s Version)
Backstabber (Tailor’s Version)
Modern Moonlight (Tailor’s Version)
My Alcoholic Friends (Tailor’s Version)
Delilah (Tailor’s Version)
Dirty Business (Tailor’s Version)
First Orgasm (Tailor’s Version)
Mrs. O. (Tailor’s Version)
Shores Of California (Tailor’s Version)
Necessary Evil (Tailor’s Version)
Mandy Goes To Med School (Tailor’s Version)
Me & The Minibar (Tailor’s Version)
Sing (Tailor’s Version)
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (Tailor’s Version) *

 * BONUS TRACK – CD/VINYL ONLY

Hailed upon its original release for Viglione’s genre-spanning, emotionally expressive drumming and Palmer’s percussive piano work, jagged vocals and unflinching songwriting, Yes, Virginia…(Tailor’s Version) sees The Dresden Dolls exploring sexuality, identity, Holocaust denial, addiction, capitalism and social isolation against a backdrop of defiant joy. The tracklist remains unchanged – save for a bonus track on the new physical releases – but the performances reflect two decades of Palmer and Viglione’s artistic and personal evolution, adding renewed depth, nuance, and intensity to such treasured songs as “My Alcoholic Friends,” “Sex Changes,” “Backstabber,” “Mrs. O,” “Sing,” “Delilah,” and “Me and the Minibar.” Having earned global applause for their blazingly visceral live performances over the past 26 years, Palmer and Viglione approached the material with a deeper musical connection and a more expansive emotional range. Their performances do not attempt to perfectly replicate the original recordings. Rather, Yes, Virginia…(Tailor’s Version) reflects a more mature interplay – subtler, more elastic, and more attuned to space and restraint – while preserving the raw theatricality that defined The Dresden Dolls’ early work.

Long known as a fiercely passionate live band, The Dresden Dolls will hit the road for a celebratory world tour beginning September 1 at Vienna, Austria’s Arena Wien Open Air and then traveling North America, Europe and the United Kingdom capped by a two-night homecoming at Boston’s Colonial Theatre (December 4-5) and tour finale at New York’s historic Brooklyn Paramount on December 9. VIP and Artist Presales begin Wednesday, May 13. Local Presales follow on Thursday, May 14. General On-Sales get underway Friday, May 15. For complete details and ticket information, please visit dresdendolls.com.

THE DRESDEN DOLLS – TOUR 2026 

SEPTEMBER
1 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien Open Air
2 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
4 – Prague, Czech Republic – ARCHA+
5 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Neue Welt
7 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg
8 – Paris, France – Élysée Montmartre
10 – Manchester, UK– Albert Hall
11 – London, UK – British Airways ARC 

OCTOBER
3 – Los Angeles, CA – The United Theater on Broadway
6 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
7 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
9 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10 – Seattle, WA – 5^th Avenue Theatre
27 – St Paul, MN – The Palace Theatre
29 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
30 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
31 – Montreal, QC – Beanfield Theatre 

DECEMBER
4 – Boston, MA – The Colonial Theatre
5 – Boston, MA – The Colonial Theatre
9 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount

Formed in Boston in 2000 after a chance meeting at a Halloween party, Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione established The Dresden Dolls as a singular force in the underground music and art scene. Their fusion of theatricality, punk energy, and cabaret sensibility helped define the “Punk Cabaret” genre.

In 2003, The Dresden Dolls won their hometown’s prestigious WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble and released their self-titled debut album, featuring enduring songs such as “Coin-Operated Boy” and “Girl Anachronism,” the latter of which was later featured on the hit Showtime series Weeds. Two years later, a support slot with Nine Inch Nails helped propel their international profile. The years that followed saw the band touring extensively around the world, with sold-out headline shows, shared stages with such artists as Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, The Cure, and Panic! at the Disco, a memorable New Year’s Eve collaboration with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Boston’s Symphony Hall, and festival appearances at Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Fuji Rock, and Glastonbury. Among their many accolades, The Dresden Dolls have received multiple Boston Music Awards, while artists like Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Lady Gaga, and Jinkx Monsoon have all publicly celebrated the band and Palmer’s songwriting as influences on their own work.

The Dresden Dolls began an unofficial hiatus in 2008, pursuing wide-ranging creative paths. Viglione has performed with acts including Nine Inch Nails and Violent Femmes, while Palmer has built a multi-faceted solo career spanning theater, crowdfunding, and public speaking. Her 2014 memoir, The Art of Asking, became a New York Times bestseller while her celebrated TED Talk is currently poised to achieve a milestone 20 million views.

Now, after years of individual evolution and intermittent reunions, The Dresden Dolls’ influence continues to resonate with new audiences, as streaming platforms and social media introduce their work to a new generation drawn to dramatic, emotionally bracing songwriting. 

It’s time, once again, for the Punk Cabaret.